Sen. Joni Ernst rips Pentagon for sending wet, moldy gear to Taiwan

It may be time to break the mold.

Sen. Joni Ernst lambasted the Pentagon over shipments of mildew-infested body armor plates, mold-covered tactical vests and other subpar equipment to Tawain last year that Taipei spent weeks drying out and cleaning up.

Ernst (R-Iowa) penned a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin Wednesday ripping into the “embarrassing debacle” and demanding answers about why “substandard military equipment” was sent to Taiwan as revealed in a Pentagon watchdog report last month.

“While Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ appeasement of Iran has put the spotlight on the Middle East, China’s aggression in the South China Sea and beyond hasn’t slowed,” Ernst (R-Iowa) said in a statement to The Post. 

“Sending useless equipment to our partner while it is in the CCP’s [Chinese Communist Party’s] sights is just the latest instance of how this administration has damaged America’s credibility around the world.”

Last month, a report from the Defense Department inspector general shed light on the debacle and revealed that the Pentagon shelled out some $730,000 trying to rectify the issue.

Taiwanese officials also flagged other quality control issues from US shipments it received such as 2.7 million rounds of ammunition that were rife with expired shells stuffed in loose and wrongly labeled packaging.

In total, there were over 3,000 body armor plates covered in mildew, 500 moldy tactical vests that were also wet and 120 pallets that endured water damage, some of which had “visible mold spores.”

The DOD watchdog concluded that the Pentagon “did not effectively or efficiently implement accountability and quality controls” in a variety of shipments to Taiwan between November 2023 and March 2024.

Investigators attributed the botched shipments to communication errors surrounding the coordination of flights to Taiwan. The inspector general suggested the Pentagon establish a clearer timeline and delegation of responsibilities for such shipments.

That equipment had been featured in a $345 million aid package that the Harris-Biden administration unveiled last year.

The deliveries came against the backdrop of growing tensions between Taiwan, a self-governing island with its own currency and military nestled in the East and South China Seas that Beijing claims sovereignty over. On paper, the US adheres to the so-called One China Principle, recognizing that claim.

However, the US also maintains unofficial diplomatic relations with Taipei and strategic ambiguity over whether or not it would intervene militarily in the event that China tries to establish control over Taiwan by force. Fears of such aggression have been elevated by the war in Ukraine.

“This embarrassing debacle highlights shortcomings in the Biden-Harris administration’s counter-China strategy, undermining our relationship with a key regional partner, weakening deterrence against China, and wasting hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars,” Ernst wrote in her letter to Austin.

“These failures are particularly alarming, not only because of Taiwan’s critical role as a key security partner but also because they could impact the confidence of other U.S. allies and partners that rely on timely and reliable defense support.”

The Hawkeye State senator sent Austin a list of questions about steps the Pentagon is taking to provide better oversight over future equipment shipments, whether the DOD will take up the inspector general’s recommendations and details about how the military funded the efforts to rectify the situation.

She also sought information about whether the Pentagon has taken steps to replace the damaged ammunition and a list of other equipment that was also ruined if there is any.

“A Kamala Harris White House is doomed to sow further distrust among friends and allies while giving a green light to adversaries eager to take advantage,” Ernst further told The Post about the debacle.

Ernst has previously taken aim at the Harris-Biden Pentagon, including for funds that went to the Taliban. Last month, she ripped into the Harris-Biden administration over millions that went to Chinese labs.